


Adventures With the Science Bros: A Reader Insert

by Asgardian_princess_5



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Tower, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Avengers (2012), Reader-Insert, Science Bros
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-03-13 11:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3379634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asgardian_princess_5/pseuds/Asgardian_princess_5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a collection of short little snippets of events involving you and the Science Bros. Set in post-Avengers time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sleep-Deprived

You woke early on a Saturday morning to the sun shining through the window of your room. Feeling unusually bubbly and awake, you got up and dressed in your favorite sweater and jeans before heading downstairs to make some coffee for yourself and the boys. Bruce would probably be downstairs in the lab and working already, but you were almost sure that Tony would sleep until at least noon. When the coffee was finished brewing, you poured some into each of your favorite mugs and placed the drinks on a tray so you could take them downstairs. If Tony's coffee was cold by the time he woke up, that was his own problem. You stacked some blueberry muffins on the tray as well and picked it up before making your way to the lab. 

Upon entering the work space, you were surprised to find both Science Bros sleeping. Tony was laying on the floor, with his head resting on a stack of blueprints for some new "secret design" (you'd already figured out it was a new suit) that he was working on. You had to admit, using blueprints as a pillow was one of the more creative uses for paper that you'd seen. Bruce was sitting in a chair at one of the long lab tables, hunched over so that his face rested on his arm on the tabletop. Some of his work had fallen to the ground near his feet and his glasses were still on his face, but were knocked slightly askew. You grinned at the sight of two of your best friends sleeping- they were both adorable nerds and you felt so lucky that they were  _your_ adorable nerds. You decided it was probably best to wake your friends up. They'd obviously experienced a long night and would probably benefit from the caffeine in the coffee I'd made.

You sighed and picked up Bruce's papers off the floor, placing them carefully on the table next to him. You placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him lightly. "Wakey-wakey Bruce!" you whispered gently. He opened his brown eyes slowly and took off his glasses to rub the sleep out of them. 

"Good morning," he mumbled tiredly.

"Morning!" you said brightly. "I brought breakfast with me."

"Thanks, y/n. You're the best," he said, grabbing his mug and a muffin.

"No problem. I was up early anyway." With that, you turned toward Tony and smiled mischievously. He was going to be in for a much more rude awakening.

You walked over to Tony and knelt beside him before poking his shoulder. He mumbled incoherently but still didn't get up. So you poked him harder. Multiple times. 

"What?!?!?!" He exclaimed angrily as he finally sat up.

"Good morning, starshine! The earth says hello!" you shouted loudly before ruffling his hair affectionately and handing him his coffee. He frowned at you and smoothed his hair down but his face lifted considerably at the promise of caffeine.

You hoisted yourself up to sit on the edge of a lab table before looking at your friends. "What were you two doing that kept you up so late?" you questioned.

"Stuff," Tony answered vaguely as Bruce shrugged. 

You rolled your eyes. If they were going to keep secrets from you, you'd just discover them later. You had a way of searching for things and coming up with answers. After all, you wouldn't be a SHIELD consultant if you didn't have your amazing hacking skills. "You guys seriously need to develop a normal sleep schedule," you commented, bringing your thoughts back to the issue at hand. Both men shrugged in response to your scolding. You just sighed and started on your work for the day. If you couldn't convince them, no one could.        


	2. The Hulk

You were enjoying an afternoon of calmly watching Doctor Who in the living room of Avengers Tower when a peculiar disturbance occurred. You were thoroughly caught up in the adventures of the Eleventh doctor and Amy Pond when Tony ran into the room.

"Umm, y/n?" he asked hesitantly. You paused the episode and looked up to see the billionaire looking particularly distressed.

"What did you do this time?" you asked Tony exasperatedly, preparing yourself to hear the full story and possibly rush to someone's aid, if need be. That was the problem with Tony- you could never predict what would happen next. At least it kept life exciting.

"What makes you assume I did anything?" Tony asked in response to your own question. "I didn't do anything terrible!"

"Your tone of voice and mildly panicked expression say otherwise. What's up?" 

"Umm... well... Bruce and I were doing a teensy experiment downstairs, and...."

"Spit it out, Stark. I don't have all day," you commented, using Tony's last name like you always did when he angered you. 

"Well.." Tony started to speak but was cut off by a familiar roar emanating from the lower floor. 

"You. did. not. do. what. I. think. you. did." You enunciated each word clearly, glaring at Tony with what he liked to call your "mom face."

Tony visibly winced under your fierce gaze. "Bruce may have... hulked out." 

" _May have_?" You asked angrily. Another growl came from the direction of the labs. "I'm pretty sure he _definitely_ has!"

"Will you help?" Tony asked.

"No! You brought this upon yourself, so you can go calm him down!"

Tony flashed you a wide-eyed glance of disbelief. You wouldn't have been surprised if his mouth had dropped open. "Are you crazy?!?!? He's pissed off and he'll probably kill me if I go down there!" 

"He won't kill you. Bruce doesn't hurt his friends," you replied calmly.

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"The longer you wait, the more your lab gets destroyed by the Hulk," You pointed out, hinting at Tony to leave and solve his own problems.  

"You're the only one who can calm him down, y/n. You have to help," Tony pleaded desperately.

You sighed, defeated. "Fine. But if this keeps me from Doctor Who for too long, I'm going to be upset with you."  

 


	3. Glitter

You stormed angrily down the stairs to the lab, making sure that your entrance would be noticed. Needless to say, you were extremely angry and determined to yell at the cause of your overwhelming emotions. This time, the cause was Tony Stark- as it was most of the time. He really didn't know where to draw the line. As soon as you laid your e/c eyes on said man, you lost it.

"ANTHONY EDWARD STARK!!!" you yelled at the top of your lungs. Tony cringed and visibly sank lower into his swivel chair. Bruce had looked up from the other side of the lab at your outburst, his face slightly alarmed.

Tony rolled his chair around to the opposite side of the table, to distance himself from you, before talking. "What's the problem sweet-cheeks?"

"What's the _problem_?!?" you shrieked, his demeaning use of pet names only angering you further. "What do you  _think_ the problem is?!?"

Tony smirked. "I'm going to take a wild guess here, but I'm assuming it's the fact that you're covered in sparkles." It was true. You had taken a shower that morning, not expecting the copious amounts of golden glitter that had mysteriously appeared mixed into your shampoo, conditioner, and even into your favorite coconut scented body wash. You didn't notice the glitter until you were halfway through your shower routine, and by then it was too late to change plans and clean yourself in another bathroom. And that was how you ended up positively covered in fine, sparkling powder.

"I look like a freaking fairy or something," you complained aloud.

"Yeah, the fairy representing overly angry women," Tony muttered under his breath. Unfortunately for him, you had excellent hearing.

"Excuse you! This is your fault! Don't complain to me about my attitude when you caused it!"

"I did no such thing!"

"Oh, really?" you challenged. "So I'm supposed to believe that Pepper or Bruce put the glitter in my body wash? Because they were the only other ones in the tower last night and this morning, and they're more innocent than you when it comes to the world of pranking." 

"No, Capsicle was here last night too!!!"

"Steve Rogers would never invade my personal rooms or space. He wouldn't even be able to walk into my bathroom without blushing, regardless of whether I'm in there or not. He's too gentlemanly to pull a prank like this. So our conclusions are still pointing to you as the culprit."

"Okay, fine, it was me!" Tony shouted, finally accepting defeat. "But you're such a pretty fairy!" he added mockingly, laughing. 

You frowned at him. "If this happens again, I have absolutely no reservations about kicking you where the sun don't shine and organizing a revenge prank," you stated firmly.

Tony gasped in over-exaggerated shock. "Harsh."

You just rolled your eyes and sat near Bruce, who chuckled quietly. "What are you laughing at?" you snapped. 

"Nothing," he replied quickly.

"That's what I thought."


	4. Cursing

Math was, admittedly, not your strong point. It never had been. You could solve problems logically and everything, but when it came down to a textbook and some complex equations, you were a bit lost. So when Tony and Bruce had you doing a few calculations to help with one of their projects for SHIELD, you'd agreed only reluctantly and told them you weren't promising any precise results. You didn't know the significance of the calculations or what project they corresponded to, so you were in the process of checking over your work multiple times. If it was for something as serious as a gadget for one of Tony's suits or some new designs for SHIELD weaponry, you wanted to make sure the numbers were as accurate as possible, down to the last decimal value. 

This was where the problem occurred. You'd just discovered that you'd made a mistake in the very beginning of a particularly lengthy and difficult equation. You'd dropped a negative. It was only one symbol, but it changed nearly all of the math that followed. One second the three-and-three-quarters was negative and in the next second, it wasn't. It was as if your brain had just neglected to notice the symbol and carry on without it. 

You let out a loud groan when you realized your detrimental mistake. "Shit," you cursed quietly.

Or, at least, you'd thought it was quiet. Your volume was apparently at a level where Bruce, who was working across the table from you, could still hear. He looked up at you, his eyes wide with concern and surprise.

"What?" you asked, confused as to why he was staring at you in such a way. Then it dawned on you: he'd probably never heard you curse before. "Yeah, I don't usually spew profane language at the rate that Tony does, but when I do you don't have to stare at me like I'm some weird alien species," you joked.

"I'm sorry; it just surprised me," Bruce explained. "You're usually pretty... reserved."

"It's fine. I'm just joking," you replied. You smiled reassuringly at him before turning back to your paper and sighing loudly. "I just made a stupid mistake," you explained, in reference to the problem at hand. 

"Do you want me to help you fix it?" Bruce offered kindly.

"Sure, if you don't mind."

"Not at all."      


	5. Snow

"What the  _hell_ did you guys do?" Bruce asked in astonishment as he entered the lab. 

"Tony made simulated snow stuff!" You yelled happily. "Isn't it great?" You proceeded to flop into a humongous pile of the stuff. It really did look and feel like real snow, if not a little less watery. This was beneficial, however, seeing as you were wearing your normal clothes- jeans and a hoodie- and nothing waterproof. 

The lab was covered in at least two feet of snow, and more was falling steadily out of vents in the ceiling. It had been your idea to make snow, and Tony had gladly helped you. Bruce looked a bit more concerned about the condition of the lab. 

"We put all the important stuff away and covered up the electronics," you explained, addressing the anxious look etched on Bruce's face. 

"Well, in that case, carry on," he commented, and turned to leave the lab. 

"Come help me build a snow fort!" You pleaded. "Tony's being mean and won't help me because he's building his own." Your puppy dog eyes worked without fail every time you used them on Bruce, and this time was no exception. He turned around, rolled his eyes at the look of childish glee on your face, and knelt next to you in order to begin building your fort. 

A half an hour later, the front wall of your snow fort was taller than both you and Bruce. You peeked over top of one of the side walls, which were slightly shorter. You could see Tony's fort across the lab, facing yours, and still undergoing construction. You rolled your eyes when you realized that he was using two of his suits to help him. 

"I think it's time we take down the enemy," you whispered to Bruce when you had returned to the shelter of your fort. 

Bruce nodded in agreement. "Do you have a plan?" 

You flashed your best evil smile at him. "Of course I do! Jarvis?" You asked quietly. Tony was blaring his music, but you couldn't risk being overheard. 

"Yes, Miss l/n?" The AI system responded politely. 

"Please take over control of the suits that Tony is using, pretty please." 

"Certainly. Would you like me to do anything specifically?" 

"Yes." You smirked. Now was the most interesting part of your plan. "At the sound of my battle cry, please make the suits throw snowballs at Tony." 

"I fear that would be inadvisable, unless you wish to suffer Mr. Stark 's anger." 

"Your face is inadvisable," you responded with sass, unable to think of a better comeback on such a short notice. 

"I do not possess a face. I am merely an artificial intelligence." 

"I know that!" You exclaimed. "Just do what I say. Please." 

"Very well," Jarvis conceded. 

You turned to Bruce, having finished your conversation with the AI. "Our job is to make snowballs for ourselves. Also, I'm going to have to sit on your shoulders so I can throw them over the top of the wall. You can hand more up to me when I run out." 

Bruce shrugged and decided it was best just to go along with your idea. You both sat and made a sizable pile of snowballs before preparing to execute your plan. Bruce lowered himself and you managed to hoist yourself up to sit on his shoulders. He grabbed a few snowballs and passed them up to your waiting hands. He grabbed a few more in preparation for "reloading the ammunition", as you called it. 

"Get ready Jarvis," you muttered as Bruce straightened up and the two of you moved to the edge of your snow wall. 

"Three, two, one... FOR NARNIA!!!" You yelled, pelting snowballs across the lab. Jarvis went through on his word and soon enough Tony was being attacked with snowballs from every direction. You and Bruce laughed hysterically... until Tony yelled furiously. 

"Y/N!!! BRUCE!!! YOU WILL REGRET THIS!!!" 

"Screw this, I'm getting out of here!" You yelled, jumping from Bruce's shoulders and landing in a pile of snow. You scrambled to your feet and followed Bruce's gaze. Tony's suits were now heading for the two of you, their arms filled with snowballs. 

Bruce turned to look at you. "Run?" 

"Run," you agreed. 

The two of you took off, running out of the lab and down the hallway, chased by the suits and Tony the whole way. 


	6. Hacker

You sat down in a chair in the living room, a short distance away from the science bros who were both sitting on the couch and watching a movie. You flipped open your laptop and proceeded to check your Tumblr account and various other websites before deciding that you should probably be somewhat responsible and check your email. 

You opened your web browser and logged into your account, only to have a window with a security message pop up on the screen. Someone had attempted or succeeded to enter your email unauthorized. 

You sighed heavily and glanced across the room at your friends; more like one friend in particular. "Tony have you been hacking into my email, again?" You demanded, glaring at him fiercely. 

"Yes," he replied with no shame whatsoever, not even moving his eyes from the tv screen. 

You rolled your eyes. "Why? My email isn't even that interesting. Now, my Tumblr, that's a completely different story..." you trailed off quietly, realizing what you'd just said. 

"I'll keep it in mind for next time." Tony smirked. 

"That's beside the point," you said. "My email is just my email. I don't know what you're hoping to find in there. I don't have anything to hide."

"Oh really?" He countered. Bruce was now paying attention to your argument, probably because it was impossible to focus on anything else. "What about this Ryan fellow who likes all of your social media posts?" Tony asked. 

"I knew him in high school. He's really creepy." You shuddered slightly at the mere thought of the man who'd made a habit of stalking you online.  

Tony looked slightly discouraged- but he wasn't done yet. "What about your sister asking if you have a dress for a 'special night' and whether you want to go shopping for one?" 

"My cousin, Ella, is getting married in three weeks. Obviously I have to get dressed up for that. Are you done yet?" 

Tony shook his head. "Victoria's Secret membership?" He smirked. Your cheeks flushed a light shade of pink and you noticed that Bruce looked mildly uncomfortable. 

"A girl's got to buy bras somewhere," you replied, maintaining your cool. "I told you, Tony, I've got nothing to hide. Just please stop hacking my email." 


	7. Sunrises

You woke early on a Friday morning and yawned widely before untangling yourself from your blankets. You tugged a hoodie over your pajamas and combed your hair with your fingers a little, then twisted it into a messy bun. You pulled on a pair of socks and then padded to the elevator and down a few floors of avengers tower to the main kitchen. 

You reached into one of the upper cabinets to grab your favorite mug and placed it on the counter before turning to heat up some water on the stovetop. You had to rummage through a few drawers before finding your box of peppermint tea bags. Between all of the Avengers living in the same place, things got moved around a fair bit. Your tea was no exception. When the water was boiling, you combined it with the tea bag and a small spoonful of sugar. You sipped your tea when it was finished brewing and sighed appreciatively. You walked across the common area and to the wide glass sliding door that led out onto a large balcony. 

You stepped outside and stood at the railing of the balcony, gazing at the gradually brightening sky above and the slowly waking city beneath you. The sky began to transform in front of your eyes, moving from a deep, dark blue to a blend of orange, pink, and lilac as the brilliant Sun rose along the horizon in the distance. Beneath you, lights flickered on in buildings. The number of taxis and cars on the roads increased gradually, and the distant hum of city streets began to grow ever louder. You were so absorbed in watching the world around you, that you jumped in surprise when you heard the sliding door open behind you. 

You turned to see Bruce walking toward you. He leaned against the railing next to you before speaking. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." 

"It's fine," you responded quietly, your voice coming out quiet and a bit hoarse since you hadn't spoken yet today. You cleared your throat and continued. "I was just zoning out." 

Bruce nodded, indicating that he understood. "So this is where you are every morning?" 

You took a sip of tea and nodded. "Almost every morning. I like to watch the sunrise. I used to with my dad all the time when I was a kid. It's sort of a habit now, I guess." 

"Although not a bad one," Bruce pointed out. 

"Touche," you smiled. "It could be a lot worse." 

"It could," Bruce agreed. 

Your conversation lapsed into a comfortable silence as the pair of you turned your faces skyward and watched the sunrise together. 

 


	8. Cooking

You entered the kitchen of the tower, eagerly anticipating your breakfast. You were extra hungry this morning and you weren't in the mood for dealing with anything to happen that might potentially prevent you from getting food. So, of course, these sort of events happened. 

As soon as you stepped into the kitchen, your nose detected a whiff of smoke. Sure enough, when you rounded the corner you saw a light gray haze that was slowly making its way to the ceiling and out of an open window. 

"Umm... guys? Why is there smoke in here?" You asked tentatively. If the boys had done something dangerous, you needed to stay as far away as possible. 

"Tony doesn't know how to cook," Bruce offered as a way of explanation, looking amused. His answer calmed you- at least there wasn't anything harmful going on. 

"At least you didn't explode anything," you commented as you plopped down onto a barstool next to Bruce at the counter. Then you turned to Tony. "So you're a self-proclaimed genius and you make insanely complex armored suits but you can't cook?" You asked incredulously. "Food is hardly rocket science." 

"Well, maybe rocket science is just easier for me than making breakfast," Tony stated, sounding slightly peeved at your pointing out his flaws. 

"Did you just admit to not being able to do something?!?!" You asked, adding a dramatic shocked gasp to the end of the question. "The almighty Tony Stark isn't invincible, after all!" 

"And to think that his downfall was pancakes," Bruce added. You laughed together as Tony glared at the pair of you.

"Guys, can you not do this?" He asked, rolling his eyes. "It's so immature." 

"You're one to talk," Bruce said. 

"He has a point," you acknowledged Bruce with a nod of your head before sliding off your seat and strolling leisurely across the kitchen to inspect the charred mess of pancake batter that was on top of the stove. Suddenly, an idea popped into your head and you pulled your phone out of your pocket and took a picture of the demolished pancakes. 

"What are you doing?" Tony asked, in a tone that made it clear he knew you were up to something.

"Wait until the press gets a hold of this!" You taunted, turning around so he could see the picture you'd taken on your phone screen. "It'll be glorious! Just think of the headlines- 'Billionaire vs Breakfast'" you imagined aloud, looking rather pleased with yourself. 

"You wouldn't," Tony gasped. 

Of course you wouldn't sell the picture and story to the press. It would be a stupid story and you'd never sell out gossip about any of your friends... but Tony didn't have to know that. It'd be fun to be on the other side of a prank for once.

"Ah, revenge is sweet,"you sang, practically skipping out of the kitchen, leaving behind a chuckling Bruce and an astounded Tony. 


	9. Innuendos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Sexual Innuendos Ahead! Tony Stark is awesome, but highly inappropriate at times, so I suppose that was my inspiration for this. I apologize if the innuendos are stupid, because I'm not that great at coming up with them. Thanks so much for all the positive feedback so far (kudos, hits, comments, etc.)! Any feedback, positive or negative, is greatly appreciated! :)

You opened the door to the labs at the Avengers Tower and promptly stopped dead in your tracks. " _Holy crap_!!!" you exclaimed, nearly shouting. Your two work-mates looked up quickly, startled by the sudden noise that you had caused. 

"Did you two set off a _bomb_ in here?!?!" You asked, wading through the mess on the lab floor. Papers and manila file folders covered nearly every inch of floor space, except for a thin path just wide enough for one person to walk through to avoid stepping on papers. Various tool boxes were scattered about at random intervals, their lids opened and contents spilling out. Massive rolls of blueprints lay stacked on top of the tables, while their three-dimensional counterparts were displayed on holographic screens above. In the absolute center of the mess were Bruce and Tony. The billionaire was strapped into the robotic machine that assembled his Iron Man armor on his body, while Bruce knelt on the floor, skimming over some blueprints. 

"We didn't explode anything," Bruce reassured you.

"Yet," Tony added in a whisper that you still heard. You shook your head and sat on the floor next to Bruce. "We're working on one of the suits," Tony clarified. 

"I can see that," you replied, picking up a piece of red and gold metal and turning it over and over in your hands. You looked around at the similar pieces all strewn about the floor. "Although it looks more like you demolished it." 

Bruce removed his glasses from his face and tucked them into his shirt pocket as he finished reading the papers in front of him. "The only way to fix or update it is to take it apart," he explained. 

"I'd have thought a genius such as yourself would have developed a more effective method by now," you commented, looking up to address Tony from your spot on the floor.

"I have plenty of effective methods," Tony said, winking at you. 

You rolled your eyes. "I was referring to the _suit_ , Tony!" You turned to Bruce. "So, what are you working on, specifically?" 

"Recalibrating, mostly. Also some rotations, lubrication, and reprogramming of the weapons systems."  

"You know what other devices need lubrication?" Tony asked suggestively. 

"Ugh, stop!" You complained. "I was going to help you fix your suit, but if you're just going to make nasty comments, then I won't." You stood, preparing to leave, and grabbed the cup you'd brought with you to the labs.

"Is that coffee?" Tony inquired. You could practically see him drooling over the prospect of the caffeinated drink. 

"Yeah," you said. He immediately gave you puppy-dog eyes, but you knew better than to fall for it. "Get your own coffee," you retorted. "It's upstairs." 

"But that's so far away," he complained in an overly dramatic fake whine that made Bruce laugh. 

"Too bad." 

" _Please?_ " 

"I'm not your slave, Tony!" You called out in a sing-song voice as you walked away.

"I'd use the term _personal assistant_ , if that makes you feel better," Tony countered. He smirked. "You wouldn't have to just get coffee either. I'm sure there would be other beneficial things you could do for me..."

You spun around and shot the most horrified look at Tony that you could muster. "That is just... no! That's disgusting!" And with those last few words, you left your inappropriate friend behind you. You had given up on working in the lab... at least for today. 

 

 


	10. Movie Night

"Guys, I'm bored," you whined, with every intention of sounding as annoying as possible. The three of you had been working for almost ten hours straight with only a short break for lunch, and you were tired and altogether finished with thinking for the day. 

Tony sighed loudly at your complaint. "We'll be finished soon," he said.

"That's what you said two hours ago."

He shrugged. "I lose track of time."

"I'll be finished for the day once I finish this set of calculations," Bruce interjected. "In the mean time, why don't you two think of something to cure your boredom?"

You sat and thought carefully for a few moments, attempting to come up with something that you'd all enjoy doing. You at least had video games ruled out immediately- Tony was super good at them and liked to antagonize Bruce on and off screen at the same time (Long story short, last time the three of you had a group activity, it hadn't ended so well). You thought of a few other, less harmful ideas and cleared your throat before listing them aloud to your companions.

"Dance off?" was your first suggestion. 

Bruce lifted his head from his work with a look of pure horror on his face. "No," he said simply, shaking his head. 

"Monopoly?" you tried again, attempting not to laugh at the look on Bruce's face.

"You know how Tony gets when he loses," Bruce pointed out. 

"That's very true. He's quite the sore loser." 

"I am  _not_ a sore loser!" Tony protested.

You raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Well, go on," you prompted the billionaire, whose face was suddenly illuminated by a suspicious smirk. "It's your turn to come up with an idea."

"Strip poker," Tony said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and ridiculously. You shot him a look and Bruce slammed his forehead on the table in frustration. 

"Why don't we just watch a movie, or something _normal_?" the doctor mumbled from his seat. 

"That's fine with me!" You jumped on board with the idea immediately, hoping to distract Tony so he wouldn't be able to bring up strip poker again. "I'll go upstairs and get everything set up." And you hurried away to do just that. 

 

Ten minutes later, when the boys came upstairs, you had three bowls of popcorn ready and were sitting on the ground next to the TV, searching through a box full of movies. You pulled out the first Harry Potter movie- it was your favorite movie series, and you were perfectly content with watching any of the eight movies over and over again. You opened the case, slid the DVD into the slot of the DVD player and started the movie.

You jumped onto the center cushion of the couch, with your friends on either side of you. As the theme music began to play, Tony looked over at you. "Harry Potter, _again_?" he asked.

You grabbed your popcorn and threw a piece at his face, hitting him on the cheek. "If you don't like it, you can leave."      

"But there's free food, so I'm not leaving." 

You crinkled your eyebrows at him. "I got the popcorn out of _your_ kitchen. You paid for it at some point, so it's not free."

Tony opened his mouth to retort, but then realized the fault of his argument and mumbled something incoherently under his breath. You smiled in triumph and turned to watch the screen.

 

~ Approximately 45 minutes into the movie ~

 

"Anyone want to quit this and play strip poker?"

"NO!!!"

 


	11. Picnic (Featuring the Avengers!!!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd write up something that includes the other Avengers as well, just for fun. Also, I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in like a month, but I've been really busy! Thanks for understanding, and if you like this chapter, feel free to check out the one shot collection that I've also posted on AO3, which includes some more Avengers pieces!

You looked up from your work and gazed out the window, sighing wistfully. The whole week had been sunny with blue skies, and a warm (but not uncomfortably hot) seventy-five degrees. And you've been stuck inside the labs of Avengers Tower for almost a week working on various assignments for Tony and Bruce and Maria Hill. It's not like you didn't want to track down HYDRA bases, but it was difficult to focus on a computer screen and stacks of file folders when the spring breeze was basically calling your name. You resisted the temptation for another five minutes until you threw down your pen on the desk and stood up quickly, almost knocking over your chair in the process. 

Your lab partners looked over to you in concern, based on your sudden, slightly aggressive movements. Tony raised his eyebrows. "You okay, y/n?" 

"No," you said shortly. "We've been locked up inside for the last five days and it's been absolutely gorgeous outside. I need to get some fresh air before I explode."

"Then go outside," Bruce replied, as if the solution to the problem was that simple.

"I'm not going alone!" You protested. "You two haven't been out either, and I doubt that anyone else on the team, besides maybe Steve, has left the tower in a few days. We need to plan a group outing."

"Umm, ' _we_ '?" Tony asked. "There's no ' _we_ ' in this; this is all your idea. I'm not taking the credit for it if something happens while we're out."

"Fine," you retorted. "I'll plan it myself." And with those final words, you left the room to see if the team had a free schedule in the afternoon. 

 

Two hours later, you ran back into the labs. "Picnic in Central Park, be downstairs and ready to go in five minutes!" You announced. Bruce rolled his eyes at your enthusiasm, but didn't seem too terribly upset at the notion of leaving the tower. Tony, on the other hand, met you with resistance. 

"Do I _have_ to go?" he whined, almost like a little kid.

You sighed. "Yes. Everyone else is going. If you don't show up downstairs when it's time to leave I will order Jarvis to take one of your suits and make it physically throw you out of this lab."

"But Jarvis only listens to me," Tony answered smugly. "Right, Jarvis?"

"Well, Miss y/n does have quite a commanding presence at times. I would be inclined to listen to her," Jarvis admitted, almost sounding a bit awkward.

You grinned in triumph. "See, Tony? No way out. Meet you downstairs!" You skipped happily from the room.

 

Once the Avengers had assembled themselves, you struggled to pick up the two heavy picnic baskets that you'd packed (superheroes have high metabolisms, hence why you absolutely _needed_ to pack a lot of food). Thankfully for you, Steve noticed your dilemma and offered his help, which you gratefully accepted. The super soldier picked up both baskets as if they weighed a mere five pounds each and traveled to the front of the group in order to lead the way to the park. You grabbed two folded blankets and Natasha helped you by taking the third before making your way along the busy New York streets with the rest of your friends. You were stopped periodically by strangers and fans who wanted autographs or pictures with the Avengers, and plenty of people pointed and stared at the group as you passed by. At this point, all of you were used to the attention and you weren't going to let it detract from your ability to have fun.

When you got to the park, you directed the group to a grassy area beneath a large tree and spread out the blankets on the ground with the help of Natasha and Bruce. Steve set down the picnic baskets and the two of you began to sort through the food- you'd packed everyone's favorite meals for lunch.

"Hey, Thor!" you called, getting the attention of the blond Asgardian who was currently staring in curiosity at someone's golden retriever who was catching frisbees in midair.

The man whipped his head around toward the sound of your voice. "Yes, Lady y/n?" 

"Pop tarts?" You asked with a smile, holding up a box of said toaster pastries. Thor smiled in return and nodded his head, catching the blue box when you tossed it to him.

Next, you pulled two turkey sandwiches out of the basket. "Clint?" You asked, looking around for the archer. But he was nowhere to be found. "Clint Barton, so help me God, if you are up a tree _again_ , I will-"

Your threat was cut short by the man you were searching for... when he dropped out of the branch of the tree above you and landed directly in front of you, plucking his lunch from your grasp. "Thanks y/n, you're the best!" he exclaimed before climbing the tree again. You rolled your eyes and retrieved your own lunch from the basket before joining the whole group (well, except for Clint) who were sitting in a circle on the picnic blankets. You ate your lunch and then lay down on your back, staring up at the sky. 

"What are you doing?" Tony asked from his spot next to you.

"Looking at the sky. Is that a crime or something?" You retorted sarcastically.

"Are you seriously looking at cloud shapes?" Tony asked. "You're a full-grown adult."

"And you're an adult and you build robotic suits all day. Your point is?"

"Both of you shut up," Bruce interjected. "Although I don't mind looking at clouds." He lay down next to you while Tony rolled his eyes. 

"You and your calm activities, Bruce," the fellow Science Bro mused, shaking his head.

"If you'd rather I get angry and Hulk out, I'm sure that can be arranged." This remark elicited a resounding "no" from the entire group, including Clint who was apparently eavesdropping from the tree. 

"No, just stick to your childish games with y/n," Tony commented.

"Hey, y/n?" Bruce asked loudly. "See that cloud over there?" He pointed up at the sky.

"The big fluffy one?" you asked.

"No, no. The really small wispy one next to it. If you squint you can see it." 

"Oh yeah. What about it?"

"Kind of reminds me of Tony's intelligence," Bruce commented. 

You exploded into laughter, as did the majority of the team who had heard the joke. This picnic was turning out to be one of your greatest idea.


	12. "You're Wrong"

You sighed and scratched over another marking with a pencil, coloring over it to block out the previous numerals, and then replacing them with newly calculated ones. You tapped the buttons on the calculator a few more times, running a couple of equations before arriving at another number.

"Twenty three point five, two, seven, nine..." You quietly muttered the numbers from the calculator screen to yourself as you penciled them in. The door to the lab opened and suddenly you felt a presence behind you. Turning around, you found that an irritated-looking Tony Stark was standing behind you. 

"What _exactly_ do you think you're doing?" he asked tersely.

"Fixing your blueprints," you answered simply. "You'll thank me later." You pulled up a holo screen in front of you and translated your penciled-in corrections on to the electronic version of the blueprints for Tony's new Iron Man suit.

"They don't need fixing!" Tony protested. "I've worked on the electronic prototype for weeks, run it through dozens of simulations-"

He was cut off by your quick interruption. "Well, your prototype's got some faulty wiring, and the simulations you've used haven't picked up on it. It's a minor thing, just the directions of the wires inside the arms and down to the hands..." You expanded the image and pointed out the little corrections you had been making.

"The direction of the wiring?" Tony asked incredulously. "That's not even an issue. It doesn't affect the suit's functionality at all!"

"Oh the functionality is fine," you agreed. "However, if you get hit in the arm, hand, or even shoulder and the suit suffers a dent near these wires, they'll be exposed on the inside next to your skin. You could be electrocuted if it malfunctions or the power is still running through the arm of the suit."

"It still doesn't need fixing," he remarked stubbornly. "I've run simulations where the suit takes hits in every spot and this has never been a problem."

"Yeah, because the simulations focus on whether the suit is fine after taking a hit, not whether the person inside it is still alive," you pointed out.

"How did you even get into these blueprints anyway, they're protected by, like, ten passwords."

You shrugged. "I asked Jarvis. He was more than happy to help when he realized I was going to fix things to help protect your life."

Tony gritted his teeth. " The suit. Does not. Need fixing," he said, emphasizing the words and pausing in between whilst using his angry voice.

Suddenly, Bruce walked into the lab and looked like he wished he hadn't when he saw the two of you staring at each other defiantly with the project between you.

You turned to your other friend excitedly, hoping to sway Tony into letting you keep fixing his suit until you were finished re-routing the wiring so it was safe. "Bruce! Come look at this and help me convince Tony that he's an idiot for wiring the prototype's arms this way."

Bruce walked over cautiously, seeming to be the peaceful voice of reason in the argument, as he often tried to be. He put on his glasses and stared at the screen for a few minutes before looking to Tony. "Y/n has a point. This could be pretty dangerous if the suit suffered damage."

"I told you!" you said. "See, Bruce agrees with me."

"He- he could be wrong too," Tony argued weakly.

"The man has a Ph.D. I highly doubt that he's incorrect," you stated, referring to Bruce. "Face it, Tony. You're wrong. Now help me fix the wiring so it leads to the outer edges of the suit's arms and not toward the inside."

Tony sighed in defeat and picked up a tablet to help. "Oh, I'm sorry. Should I not touch this since it might electrocute me too?" he asked sarcastically.

You rolled your eyes and just handed him a sheet of paper that had your ideas sketched out on it, but you were secretly happy that he had agreed to a safer method.


End file.
